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Raven Symone

Actress and Singer; Known for "The Cosby Show" and Disney's "That's So Raven"; Co-Host of "The View"

Famed actress and singer Raven-Symoné got her start in the entertainment industry when she was just 2 years old, after making appearances in advertisements for popular brands such as Jell-O and Cool Whip, in addition to getting signed as a miniature model with Ford.

Raven-Symoné continued down the path to stardom. After unsuccessfully auditioning for a role in the 1990 film "Ghost Dad," the film's star, legendary comedian Bill Cosby, cast the young actress in his hit television series, "The Cosby Show." She played Olivia Kendall, the step-granddaughter of Dr. Cliff Huxtable. Raven-Symoné's on-screen charm appealed to audiences, and her Cosby performance led to another sitcom role in 1993. America continued to watch Raven-Symoné grow up on camera as Nicole Lee on "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper."

In addition to acting and modeling, Raven-Symoné embarked on a music career during her childhood, becoming the youngest artist to sign with MCA Records in 1993. That same year, she released her debut album, Here's to New Dreams. Despite the backing power of hip-hop artist Missy Elliott, who worked with Raven-Symoné to produce the young singer's first album, Here's to New Dreams flopped and MCA Records, in turn, dropped Raven-Symoné from their label. She would not return to her music career until several years later, after entering the next phase of her life in the spotlight as a Disney star.

Raven-Symoné became a major asset to the Disney brand. After appearing in the Disney Channel movie "Zeon: Girl of the 21st Century," the network, impressed with her performance in the film, asked Raven-Symoné to audition for the lead role in a new Disney series. After blowing producers away during her audition, Raven-Symoné was promptly cast as the star of "That's So Raven" (originally entitled Absolutely Psychic). Raven-Symoné's time on "That's So Raven" marked the beginning of her career as a highly regarded performer. The show premiered to rave reviews and high ratings in 2003, which set the tone for other Disney stars who used the network as a launching pad for their careers, including Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. The show had garnered several honors, including two Emmy Award nominations, by the time it ended in 2007. Additionally, "That's So Raven" was the network's first original series to reach 100 episodes.

Raven-Symoné worked on other projects with Disney while "That's So Raven" ran its course. She played a supporting role in the Disney film "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" alongside actress Anne Hathaway, and starred in the made-for-TV films "The Cheetah Girls" and "The Cheetah Girls 2," among other parts. Her work as one-fourth of the all-girl group the Cheetah Girls revived Raven-Symoné's music career. She signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records, owned by Disney. Though Raven-Symoné's R&B-infused 2004 album, This Is My Time, greatly surpassed her debut studio release, it failed to achieve much critical or commercial acclaim, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Following the finalé of "That's So Raven" in 2007, Raven-Symoné's acting career began to slow down. In 2008, she starred with Martin Lawrence in "College Road Trip," which premiered at No. 2 at the box office, and began doing voiceover work for Disney's "Tinker Bell" video series.

In 2011, Raven-Symoné appeared in her most mature TV role yet, starring as Georgia Chamberlain on the series "State of Georgia." She then made her Broadway debut in the 2013 stage adaptation of "Sister Act."

Raven-Symoné made headlines for her personal life in 2013, when, after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act was announced, she tweeted: "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you." Afterward, she released a public statement to E! News, saying, "I am very happy that gay marriage is opening up around the country and is being accepted. I was excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage. I, however, am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to."

Raven Symone is an American entertainer who is best known for portraying the role of Raven Baxter in That’s So Raven as a child actress. Having appeared in a number of advertisements as a model during her early years, she eventually made her debut on the small screen when she starred in the NBC sitcom, The Cosby Show at the age of four in 1989....

Recently, Raven-Symoné is probably most well-known for her hosting gig on The View or her recurring guest role on Black-ish, but the actress also has a passion for music. Raven has taken a step back from that industry for almost a decade, but over the weekend she made a surprise return by uploading two new songs onto her Soundcloud account.